--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Prior to being medicated, a depressed…" description: "\"“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”\" — Robert Whitaker" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg" --- # Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known… ![“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.” quote by Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg) > ““Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”” [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims depression lacks a proven chemical imbalance before medication. **In simple terms:** Depression may not be caused by chemicals. Key Takeaway Question assumptions about mental illness causes. Themes mental health depression science Mood critical inquisitive Type analytical controversial When to use this quote - clinical practice - patient education - research discussion Key Concepts chemical imbalance pharmacology diagnosis Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports or refutes this claim? - How should treatment approaches adapt? A Different Perspective Scientific consensus still supports neurotransmitter roles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depressed person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed-person/) ## Related quotes > [“And what science had revealed was this: Prior to treatment, patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, depression, and other psychiatric disorders do not suffer from any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/and-what-science-had-revealed-was-this-prior-to-treatment-patients/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [Medicated, drama queen, picture perfect, numb belligerence. Narcissistic, drama queen, craving fame and all its decadence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-perfect-circle/medicated-drama-queen-picture-perfect-numb-belligerence-narcissistic/) [A Perfect Circle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-perfect-circle/) > [There's so much stigma still. 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One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-cocktail-she-took-usually-included-a-mood-stabilizer-an/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“In the United States, people with depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia are losing twelve to twenty years in life expectancy compared to people not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/in-the-united-states-people-with-depression-bipolar-and-schizophrenia/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“The prescribing of stimulants to ADHD youth began to take off in the 1980s, and today, thirty years later, studies have failed to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/the-prescribing-of-stimulants-to-adhd-youth-began-to-take-off-in-the/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“That is where we stand as a nation today. Twenty years ago, our society began regularly prescribing psychiatric drugs to children and adolescents, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/that-is-where-we-stand-as-a-nation-today-twenty-years-ago-our-society/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“...all I could think about was how both sets of parents had needed to make their decision, on whether to medicate their child, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/all-i-could-think-about-was-how-both-sets-of-parents-had-needed-to/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“When it comes to dead bodies in current psychotropic trials, there are a greater number of them in the active treatment groups than in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/when-it-comes-to-dead-bodies-in-current-psychotropic-trials-there-are-2/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“Psychosis does not live in the head. It lives in the in-between of family members, and in the in-between of people," Salo explained. "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/psychosis-does-not-live-in-the-head-it-lives-in-the-in-between-of/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) > [“Klonopin ruined my lie. It takes away your drive, and in the morning, you don't want to get out of bed, because you feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/klonopin-ruined-my-lie-it-takes-away-your-drive-and-in-the-morning/) [Robert Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) [Explore all 21 Robert Whitaker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/) ## More Depressed person quotes > [“A depressed person is selfish because her self, the very core of who she is, will not leave her alone, and she can no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-pershall/a-depressed-person-is-selfish-because-her-self-the-very-core-of-who/) [Stacy Pershall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-pershall/) > [There is no point treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, 'There now, hang on, you'll get over it.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/there-is-no-point-treating-a-depressed-person-as-though-she-were-just/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [You can try to have all the friends in the world to cover up your bitterness inside but if your not happy with or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisette-alfaro/you-can-try-to-have-all-the-friends-in-the-world-to-cover-up-your/) [Lisette Alfaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisette-alfaro/) > [“It appears that the picture of DID as the ongoing clash of polarized personality types (e.g., good girl-bad girl, upright citizen-sociopath) is hard to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-p-kluft/it-appears-that-the-picture-of-did-as-the-ongoing-clash-of-polarized/) [Richard P. Kluft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-p-kluft/) > [One of the things that frequently gets lost in descriptions of depression is that the depressed person often knows that it is a ludicrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/one-of-the-things-that-frequently-gets-lost-in-descriptions-of/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [“how ridiculous it was. There is no point in treating a depressed person as though she were just feeling sad, saying, There now, hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/how-ridiculous-it-was-there-is-no-point-in-treating-a-depressed/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Once a depressed person becomes active and hopeful, self-esteem always improves. Bolstering self-esteem without changing hopelessness, without changing passivity, accomplishes nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/once-a-depressed-person-becomes-active-and-hopeful-self-esteem-always/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [To judge a person the best thing is just stop talking and if he/she comes to know that ur depressed then that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-jain/to-judge-a-person-the-best-thing-is-just-stop-talking-and-if-he-she/) [Abhishek Jain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-jain/) > [“Earlier in the day, while killing some hours by circling in blue ballpoint ink every uppercase M in the front section of a month-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-franzen/earlier-in-the-day-while-killing-some-hours-by-circling-in-blue/) [Jonathan Franzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-franzen/) > [I've always liked depressing music because a lot of times, listening to it when you're down can actually make you feel less depressed. Also,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-cornell/i-ve-always-liked-depressing-music-because-a-lot-of-times-listening/) [Chris Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-cornell/) > [“A person with no arms trying to punch themselves until their arms grow back" may be the best description I've ever read of what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/a-person-with-no-arms-trying-to-punch-themselves-until-their-arms/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) > [“I remembered my pep talk to Esperanza a few months before, and understood just how ridiculous it was. There is no point in treating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-remembered-my-pep-talk-to-esperanza-a-few-months-before-and/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [I think I've gotten a pretty fair shake in the music press over the years. 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They can be the most upset, angry, and depressed person you have ever seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-smile-simply-does-not-mean-the-person-is-happy-they-can-be-the-most/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 48 Depressed person quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressed-person/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Whitaker" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Depressed person" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c42/robert-whitaker-27072_depressed-person_prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-per_1497739.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Prior to being medicated, a depressed person has no known chemical imbalance.” — Robert Whitaker", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert Whitaker", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-whitaker/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Prior to being medicated, a depressed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-whitaker/prior-to-being-medicated-a-depressed-person-has-no-known-chemical/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```